Operation get back into shape 2014!

I started some "real" training last month and I am almost back to a regular training routine!  It definitely was hard to get back into training and doing the workouts that hurt more! Lol!  The winter we are having in Toronto is also making it hard to train.  Running, which is my weakest and least favourite event, has been non-existent.  It either has been too cold or too snowy or too icy to go out for a run.  Excuses, excuses, I know!  It is times like these I wish I had easy access to a treadmill.  There is always the indoor track but since my hamstring is not quite ready for intervals on a track, the thought of going round and round at a steady pace is nauseating.  I guess it is better than nothing.  I do hope to go out and run again soon!  I need to!  By mid January I had enough with the snow and ice.  I even crashed on my commuter one night due to some black ice so I made the last minute decision to sign up for a cycling training camp in California.  I first had to give away and switch some shifts around at work and I have awesome coworkers who helped me out and allowed me to escape from the winter for a week of cycling!  I joined the RealDeal Performance camp in San Diego, California knowing I would be out of my league but I figured I had nothing to lose!  And boy was I right! These people were either pro, elite, or on the national team!  I worked hard and definitely improved over the week getting some fitness and strength back and I had a great time and made some new friends!  I apparently impressed some of the guys during the week but I am not a quitter and I stuck to it and just worked hard getting my butt kicked! Haha!  I put in about 500km during the week.  Not bad!   Here is a group pic of us at La Jolla Cove, so nice to be outside!

Photo courtesy of Ed Veal/RealDeal Performance

Now I am trying to keep my gained fitness and keep myself fit for the next camp I signed up for.  Another camp which I will be out of my league but I was welcomed to join and again, have nothing to lose but to get stronger!  I will be leaving at the end of the month for Lanzarote, Canary Islands for the Epic Women Camp hosted my pro triathlete Tara Norton!  Not gonna lie, I am super nervous but also super excited about the trip.  Bring it on! :)

Looking back at 2013 and looking forward to 2014.

Wow!  Have I ever neglected this blog! :( Oops!  I will certainly try to do better in 2014.  There are a couple of posts I would still like to write about and still plan on doing so.  Luckily, I wrote notes on my Pacific coast cycling adventure and my Kilimanjaro adventure!  Both were done in 2013 and were incredible adventures that I would like to share!  Climbing Kilimanjaro was a goal of mine and I am so happy that I accomplished it!  Truly, amazing!

In the past I have written a 'year in review' post, however, I kind of also failed to put one together for 2013. So here it is, better late than never! ;)

2013 ended up being a frustrating year injury wise.  I had stopped running after my last race in 2012 in hopes that my hamstring would heal.  No dice!  Ended up getting an MRI late January after xrays and ultrasounds were done to confirm that I did tear my hamstring.  With that news and the number of hours of rehab I have already went through, it was decided that I go the PRP route.  Until then, I was focusing on just swimming and yoga.  Got my first PRP shot at the end of February and I decided to also lay off the yoga.  My 35th birthday present to myself was a PRP shot, haha!  After that, I started getting back on the bike trainer and tried some running by mid April.  I went on a cycling trip to Vegas in April with two fantastic athletes/friends and put in some great mileage!  Running was still painful so in May, we decided to go for a second PRP shot, with the understanding I may need two more since my injury has been chronic.  Getting the 2nd shot in May was putting any chance of racing in 2013 in jeopardy.  However, I am a pretty stubborn and determined person and was not going to give up yet.  So six weeks after the 2nd PRP shot I went and completed Mont Tremblant 70.3 on virtually no run training.  I was pleased with myself for finishing it and then backed off the running again to try to give my hammy a break.  I mainly focused on cycling and swimming.  In mid July, I started to get more serious in running again and did the Toronto Olympic triathlon and followed that by the Calgary 70.3.  I was actually very happy with my performance in Calgary.  I used my time in Alberta for my last bit of training before the Ironman and managed to run 15km, 24km, and 25km in the last two weeks before my two week taper. That was it for long runs.  Then it was time for Ironman Mont Tremblant.  And I did it!  I managed to gut it out and finished the Ironman on little run training.  Not a personal best or anything but a definite accomplishment.  After the race, I stuck true to the deal I made with myself of no more races for the year and to stop running again to try to get back to 100%.  In the meantime, I traveled and went on some amazing adventures.  I rode my bike from San Francisco to San Diego in six days!  My friend and I may make this a yearly trip!  So much fun!  And then in October I traveled to Tanzania in East Africa and climbed Mt Kilimanjaro and went on a safari!  A trip of a lifetime!  I got back into yoga and by December, I started to slowly get back into running.  Along the way I managed to get tendinitis in my right foot by June and sprained my wrist trying something new out in December.  I am looking forward to becoming pain and injury free in 2014!

Here are some numbers for 2013:

Swim:  248.2km (Jan to the beginning of Aug - stopped logging after that)
Bike:  4243.08 km (March to beg of September - no trainer or commuting mileage included)
Run: 369.87 km

On tap for 2014? Well, after IM MT I had the racing bug in me and felt that after my cycling adventure I was in much better shape for an Ironman.  I had a hard time not signing up for another race in 2013 so what did I do? Sign up for two Ironmans in 2014! Smart? Ha! Probably not!  But I am up to the challenge and looking forward to it!  I have a new coach and hopefully a better year in training.  My previous coach had worked out well and he was great, but he just got picked up to race cycling at an elite level and decided he could not give me as much time as he deemed fair to be my coach.  I need accountability and therefore, need a coach to achieve that.  Hopefully, my new coach will work out well and I can get back into IM race shape (and lose some pounds I gained over the holidays)!.  I have a couple of training camps on tap to kick my butt into shape as well as continuing with the rehab and getting my hammy back to 100%.  I really hope to get back to training on the track sometime soon with the UTTC gang but I cannot do that yet.  Keeping my fingers crossed!  Slowly but surely...I hope!

Ironman #9!

Ironman Mont Tremblant Race Report
Aug 18, 2013
Mont Tremblant, Quebec






Finally getting around to write up a race report.  Leading up to this, Ironman was very iffy with my hamstring injury.  At one point, it was looking like a swim/bike event for me.  But I stubbornly was not willing to give up and somehow managed to get myself in some sort of IM shape after starting running in June.  I knew I was not in optimal shape going into IM but I also knew I was capable of finishing it and that was my goal - I just wanted a finish!  No PBs, no amazing run times, just a finish!

Swim: 3.8km, 1:09:27

The organizers decided to do a wave start as oppose to a mass start and I was in the very last wave.  Good news for me as I did not have to deal with the craziness of the first half getting clobbered and head up swimming.  Bad news, because I like swimming on my own, I had room to do so and did not draft which probably gave me a slower swim time.  I felt great in the water and really had no contact for the whole 3.8km.  Unlike previous IMs, I did not feel tired at all and felt pretty fresh coming out of the water.  But I  am not going to lie, I was a little disappointed with my swim time.  I was hoping for something a bit faster.

T1: 6:10 Transition was long and I actually decided to skip the wetsuit strippers this time.  I found that I could get out of my wetsuit faster on my own then have the strippers struggle to get it off of me.  T1 was pretty uneventful.

Bike: 180km, 6:36:11

Grabbed Limey and got onto the bike course.  I knew this was not going to be an easy ride but I wanted to put out some good power output.  The first loop I was on target but I was losing some steam in the second loop.  I did not have to deal with much congestion which was nice but I did see some draft packs.  At one point to my surprise an official yelled out at me a warning after I got passed!  What?!  I got passed, did not attempt to grab his wheel in any way, and actually got out of aero during the pass.  Huh?!  Anyway, I tried to keep the power up during the second loop but the wind was pretty demoralizing at times and I guess I just did not have the proper training to lay down a good bike time.  I averaged 140W and my normalized power was 159W.  Not bad but not great.

T2: 2:56.  Transition again was uneventful.  Tried to get some extra nutrition in and onto the run course.

Run: 42.2km, 5:11:12

Oh the run!  Haha!  This was the big question mark???  My long runs consisted of a 15km, 16km, 20km, 22km, and 25km runs...that was it!  So I was banking on my mental strength and experience.  And that got me through to the end.  My poor hammy was not fully cooperating with me and was rebelling but I managed to ignore it for the most part.  I did walk more than I normally would but I was hurting.  At 16km I started to fall apart.  My hamstring started to cramp along with my adductor and my lower back. My muscles were seizing.  I think I was compensating for my hammy that my other muscles were rebelling too.  At that point I almost had a meltdown.  I started to panic a bit wondering how I was going to get through this.  I did a lot of walking at that point until about 23km when I decided to shut my brain and just go.  I was playing cat and mouse with one guy and we were giving each other encouragement when we passed each other.  When I decided to just go for it, I left him behind but when we saw each other in the out and backs we still gave each other encouragement which was nice and it helped.  So from about 26km on I tried to stick to the no walking in between the aid station rule.  I tried!  But at times I had to walk.  This run was a definite struggle and a mental battle but I did it!  One thing that kept my spirits up was knowing that I was faster than everyone behind me on the run since I was in the last wave.  Anything to make me feel better, lol!  In hindsight, I think I did a terrible job with nutrition.  I did not want gels anymore so I was solely running on coke, water, and Ironman Perform.  I really should have forced some gels in me.  This was one of my slower run times but I will take it!  At times I was getting disappointed with myself but I could not have expected more.  I had nothing to prove.

Finish: 13:05:54

Yay!  Ironman #9 done!  I did it!  Crossed the line and there was not a catcher immediately there.  So I ended up on my hands and knees on the ground! Haha!  Then people came running to get me.  My legs were cramping badly and I couldn't stand up.  So I got another trip to the medical tent, another IV but just needed one bag of fluid this time.  And my poor hamstring was in a lot of pain.  I was actually worried as to how much damage I did!  I wasn't feeling all that hot for several hours afterwards either.  Thinking back, I am pretty impressed that I pulled this one off.  I definitely gambled but I got through it.  And after my muscle pain subsiding, my hamstring really was not that much worse.  Probably my lack of training did not allow me to push as hard during the run protecting my hamstring in the end.

But let me tell you, now that I did this IM and got this long run in, and after my pacific coast cycling adventure (I'll blog about that soon), I now feel like I am actually IM ready and it was really hard to tell myself that was it!  No races! No IMs or half IMs this year!  Nothing!  That was my deal and I had to stick to it!  I was eyeing IM Cozumel too! Lol!  But NO!  I need to heal because I am ever so hungry now for next year!

On the mend!

So much has happened and I have been a bad blogger!  So instead of writing up official race reports I will write up a recap of the last month and a bit!

My tri season started off with Ironman 70.3 Mont Tremblant!  I met my objective of crossing the finish line!  Yay!  I was surprised that I actually completed it in under 6hrs!  Just barely but I did!  Then before I headed to Alberta I decided to race the Toronto Olympic tri as a very last minute decision.  I kind of wanted to compare myself to last year which was probably a mistake.  I still managed a relatively strong race but was much slower than last year, a whole 8 minutes slower! eek!  But that is ok!  I actually lost 3 min on the swim!  I have no idea what happened there except that the water was super cold!  I was about one minute slower on the bike and about 4 minutes slower on the run.  However, I did do a long ride the day before so I was not exactly fresh for this race.  Then I headed to Alberta for my summer mountain adventure!  I trained in the Rockies and had a couple of good rides there right before the Calgary 70.3!  Such beauty we have in our own country and great climbing in the mountains!  I raced Calgary and exceeded my expectations!  I finished it in 5:41 and a bit, but the bike was short by about 4km.  The good news was that I actually felt pretty good on the run!  And I was ecstatic about that!  I was more like my race-self but that is not necessarily a good thing since I am able to block out pain and I think that is what I did.  I was able to push through and I even picked it up at the end breaking another competitor!  That was awesome!  I was feeling good so I pushed the last bit of the run.  I passed another female athlete at about 17km and she decided to stick with me.  Well, I was struggling to keep the pace and I was going to let her go until she let out some profanities and dropped off!  I laughed! (she did too!).  My hamstring also was not in that much pain afterwards either!  I am not pain-free yet but I am finally noticing an improvement!  I think the PRP shots are actually working!

Saw the sports doc today for another follow up and told him of my improvements and of my plan of doing the Ironman.  And he was ok with it.  He said get onto the run and see how I feel!  And that is my plan!  I will run for as long as I can and if I have to walk, I will walk!  I managed to get up to a 25km run.  This is the least amount of training I have ever done going into an Ironman but who knows!?  I am banking on experience and mental strength to get me through it and I know I can!

It is all in the mind!

I am living proof that Ironman and I guess athletics in general is 80% mental and 20% physical.  There are naturally talented athletes out there that this does not apply to but to the average joe, this is so true!

This is a long overdue post and I had so much happen the past little while!  But I wanted to post this about mental strength   Your mind can play tricks on you but it also is what makes you successful.  For me, my mind gave me success!  After my training week in Lake Placid we made our way to Mont Tremblant.  I had decided that I was going to go for the half ironman and cross the finish line.  I will write up a proper race report but I do have to say that I did surprise myself.  That half marathon was completed purely on mental strength!  Nothing else but my mind.  I had no run training in me to be able to finish the run.  Experience and my mind got me there!  I am ecstatic that I finished the half!

So with this, I am going full steam ahead and going for the full Ironman.  I have been putting in some good cycling mileage in my legs and logged 1210 km for the month of June.  I am slowly building up my run mileage and am up to 20 km now but I am not doing any speed work.  My hammy will not take any speed work and I will not risk doing any either.  I will not be looking for a personal best but that is ok with me.  My mental strength will get me through the Ironman!

Up next is a visit with a friend in Edmonton and then to Calgary for the 70.3!  Looking forward to some training in the Rockies!   Hope I do not encounter any bears though!

This week: Livin` like an athlete!

As my first race of the season is just around the corner, I have ramped up my training!  Last weekend I was in cycling heaven - Parry Sound!  So awesome there!  My second family always welcomes me there and I got some awesome training in.  As I still did not get the go-ahead to run yet, I just cycled.  I rode 110km one day followed by a tough but great 130km ride the next averaging 175W.  Not bad, not bad!

Saw the sports doc midweek and he seemed a but baffled as to why I am in more pain after the 2nd PRP injection than before.  Ya, me too!  I am pretty sure he hit a nerve though because of the pain I went through.  Well, I asked about Ironman and he told me it was not a good goal to have anymore.  I am not quite ready to accept that though.  He told me I can try running again and to start at 1km every other day.  I asked him if I could make it worse by running and he did not think so.  So with that, I made a new game plan!

I have decided that if I could get up to 15km of running before MT 70.3 then I was going to go for it. I want to finish this race as I took a charity spot for it.   I am willing and ready to pull out of the run at the Calgary 70.3.  And I do not want a DNF at Ironman!  I want another finish.  However, I am not expecting any new PBs this year and I won`t kill myself trying to get one.  My purpose is solely to finish and nothing else.

I discussed this with my chiro and to my surprise, he said he was on board with me.  I know - I am just plain ol`stubborn and determined!  That mixed with stupidity and this is where I am.  I think I need to go to a sports psychologist or something, for real!  There are apparently five stages of emotion during an injury: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.  Well, I kind of got to acceptance but I backtracked to bargaining! Hehe!  That is where I think I am at now.  Oh oh!  I know I should be patient and wait, and I got some good advise but I cannot help myself.  (Sorry, Duncan!  But I am going back to shore and going to try to swim across later!  I know - wrong!)

So with this, I ramped up my training big time.  I am currently in Lake Placid for the week to train and then heading to Mont Tremblant to race.  This was the plan for a while now since I thought I was going to be able to run by now.  After my chiro and doc appointment, I ran 5km and then 10km the next day.   Yup, from zero to 5 to 10!  I recognize how stupid that is.  Then I ran 16km!  I did it!  Good news: I did not make my hammy any worse.  Bad news: it is still painful.  My pace is pathetically slow but I will take it.  And I am being very diligent with icing it too!  Anything to help me get there.  The first day in Lake Placid  I rode 90km, did a 10min run off the bike, and then a 2.5km swim.  Yesterday I swam just over 5km in the lake and then followed that with the 16km run later in the day.  Today was a hardcore type of day!  2.6km swim followed by 150km bike in the pouring rain where I even got a flat and then a 5km  run off the bike.  I can do this! I will be careful!  I promise!

Living like an athlete is pretty fun though!  All I have to do is eat, sleep, and train!  Not a bad set up for now!  Then back to real life by next week.  Gonna enjoy it in the meantime!

A little update...

What to say, what to say?!  Round 2 of post PRP is not going so well.  I think this time it is a bit harder because I got the taste of getting back into the swing of training and then I had to go back to nothing.  Plus I am in more pain than I was before the 2nd shot and I almost feel like I am in more pain than before the first shot! :(  The pain continues to go from the proximal insertion point where the tear is down to the back of my knee.  Even swimming hurts and I often have to resort to the pull buoy half way through swim practice because it just hurts too much.  Needless to say, I am getting a little frustrated and stubbornness, determination, and stupidity is beginning to set in.  I took the time off, was diligent with my rehab exercises, gone for treatments on a weekly basis (geez, I see my chiro more often than my parents!), spent lots and lots of money, and I have seen no improvement.  I still plan on doing the ironman and the two half ironmans I am signed up for and now that it is June I am getting  a little desperate.  I have been going for long rides once a week for the last couple of weeks despite it hurting me.  I continue to swim hard and I am even tempted to start running.  I need to be in shape to complete these races.  I have bargained with myself that if I do these races I will not sign up for anything next year.  My deal is that I am willing to make myself hurt more now and then to take next year completely off as long as I can race this year.  Yep, stupid! Hehe!  My back up plan for the ironman is to do the swim and bike and pull out of the run.  Ohhh....I just do not know what to do!  I know I should think long term but I am having a tough time doing that now.  I guess I am also in some denial.  What to do, what to do?!